Spring-support.



No. 767.874' PATENTBD AUG. 16, 1904.

G. E. BIGBLOW.

SPRING SUPPORTH APPLICATION FILED FEB.12, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNiTi-ip STATES Patented August 16, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. BIGELOI/V, OF VORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO MORGANSPRING COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A COR- PORATION OFMASSACHUSETTS.

SPRING-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,374, dated August16, 1904. Application filed February l2, 1902. Serial No. 93,686. (Nomodel.)

To all 'wh/mt it muy concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. BIGELOW, a citizen of the United States,residing' at lYorcester, in the county of lVorcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Spring-Support, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved construction for supportingordinary upholstery- 1o springs-such, for example, as are used inchair-seats, carriage-seats, couches, or which may be employed toadvantage in bed-springs or for substantially any purpose where acushion or spring' seat is required.

The especial object of this invention is to provide a construction forsupporting upholstery-springs and to lock the same in place` which canbe assembled or put together without the use of special tools.

2o To this end this invention consists of the parts and combinations ofparts, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out inthe claims at the end of this speciiication.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is z5 a perspective view,partially broken away, of

a frame having its upholstery-springs supported and locked in positionaccording to my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary viewshowing the manner in which the crosswires are hooked in place to fastena spring onto a main supporting-wire, and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary viewof one of the main supporting-wires.

In upholstering chair-seats or other articles of furniture difliculty is`frequently encountered in providing suitable means for supporting andfastening the upholstery-springs in place. For supporting the ordinaryupholstery-springs it has been proposed to provide 4o supporting-wiresextending acros's the frame which is to be upholstered. In suchconstructions, however, so far as I am familiar with the same, theupholstery-springs have usually been fastened or locked in place bythreading the coils of the springs onto the supportingwires or by usingbinding-wires which are permanently twisted in place.

In practice upholstery-springs are now made of such stiff wire that inorder to thread or turn the coils of .an ordinary upholsteryspring intoplace on a supporting-wire or other device special tools are requiredfor bending the end of the spring, and even with the use of such specialtools and devices the operation of threading an ordinaryupholstery-spring 5'5 onto a support is a difficult one, which usuallycan be performed only by skilled help and then comparatively slowly. Toovercome these defects, I have provided a construction for upholsterypurposes which can be put together in a simple, direct, and eflicientmanner without the use of special tools and which will provide astrongly-braced and connected construction which will not only provide aknockdown construction which can loe assembled without the use ofspecial tools, but which will also support the upholstery-spring in amore permanent and rigid manner than in constructions which haveheretofore been employed. To these ends for supporting the 7 0upholstery-springs I employ main supportingwires which extend across theframe which is to be upholstered, and combined with the mainsupporting-wires I provide cross-wires which are detachably hooked ontothe supporting-wires, the parts being so combined that the act ofsecuring the cross-wires in place will lock the.upholstery-springs inposition without turning or threading the coils of the springs onto thesupporting-wires. 8O

Referring to the accompanying drawings, for a detail description of aconstruction embodying my invention, 10 designates a chairseat or otherframe which is to be upholstered. Extending across the frame 1() are-the main 85 supporting-wires 11. The said supportingwires 11 are bentup near their ends 12 to form a bow-shaped support which is provided atits eXtreme end with a U-shaped footpiece 13, which is formed in a planeat right angles to the plane of the U-shaped body, the outer leg of theU-shaped foot-piece 13 being long enough to form, in effect, a T-head,so that when the main supporting wires are placed in position on theframe which is to be upholstered the U-shaped foot-piece 13 will holdthe supporting-wire from swaying or rocking. The main supporting-wires11 may be each secured in place by an ordinary wire staple 1-t.

The springs 16 maybe of the ordinary npholstery-spring' type, and cachof the springs 16 is secured in place on its supporting-wire 11 by t-woshort cross-wires 1T. The short cross-wires 1T are substantially of abuttonhook shape at each end.

The manner in which the parts are assembled is most clearly illustratedin Fig'. 2. As shown in this tig'ure, in order to secureaspring' 1G inplace a supporting' wire 11 is lirst threaded between the coils near thebase of the spring'. The inner ends of the cross-wires 17 are thenhooked onto the supportingwire 11 within the coils of the spring' 16, sothat when the outer ends of the cross-wire 17 are swung' up and hookedonto the side supporting-wires 11 or the outside wires 15 (shown inFig'. 1) the spring' not only will be securely fastened in position, butthe supporting'-wires will be tied together, so as to form a strong' andefficient construction which will provide a more rig'id support thanconstructions which have heretofore been employed.

ln practice l have found that the tension of the parts is suiiicient tohold the springs in place upon their supportingwires, so that the sameare not liable to move longitudinally on the supporting-wires. 1n somecases, however, it may be desirable to provide positive stops forpreventing' the longitudinal displacement of the springs upon theirsupliiorting'- wires, and when it is desired to do this the mainsupportingwires 11 may be roug'hened or maybe provided withupwardly-projecting' lugs or teats 18, as shown in Fig'. 3.

1n shipping' the parts to be used in u pholstering'franies according' tomy invention the springs may be nested together and the supporting-wires and cross-wires may be wrapped in bundles, so that a large number ofsuch iitting's may be made to occupy comparatively small space. r

in the drawings l. have illustrated. the application of my invention toframes in which live springs are employed. llt is to be understood,however, that the number of main supporting-wires and number of spring'ssecured thereon can be varied as desired.

l am aware that numerous chang'es may be made in practicing' myinvention by those who are skilled in the art without departing from thescope of my invention as expressed in the claims. 1 do not wish,therefore, to be limited to the construction I have herein shown anddescribed; but

llfhat 1 do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. 1n a construction otA the class described, the combination of asimporting-strip, an upholstery-spring' having' one coil thereofengaging' the simporting-strip, two cross-wires having' their inner endsconnected to the supporting-strip within the coil of the spring',

i i i and means for fastening' the outer ends of the cross-wires so thatthe spring' will be locked in place on the supporting-strip therebv.

2. 1n a construction of the class described, the combination of a frame,supporting'- strips extending' across the frame, upholsterysprings, eachhaving' one coil engaged by a simporting-strip, two cross-wires securedon each supporting-strip within the coil of each upholstory-spring', andmeans for holding' the Outer ends of the cross-wires in place so thatthe upholstery-spring's will be locked in place thereby upon thesupportiiig-strips.

3. 1n a construction of the class described, the combination of a frame,main supporting'- strips extending' across the fraaie,upholsterysprings, each having a coil eng'ag'ed by a supporting-strip,and two cross-wires for each spring' having' their inner ends detachablyhooked upon the supporting-strip within the coil of theupholstery-spring', and having' th cir ends extending' out in oppositedirections, and provided with hooks for engaging' a supporting-strip ateach side of the supporting-strip to which their inner ends are hooked,so as to lock the upholstory-springs in place.

4L. In a construction of the class described, the combination of asupporting-strip, an upholstery-spring' having' one coil thereofeng'ag'ed by the supportingstrip, two cross-wires having' their innerends secured on the supporting-strip within the coil of the spring',means for holding' the outer ends of the crosswires in place, andthereby locking' the upholstery-siiiring' on its supporting-strip, andlugs or projections for preventing' the crosswires from sliding'longitudinally upon the supporting-strip. l

5. As an article of manufacture, a main supporting-wire for use inconstructions of the class described, consi sti ng' of a bow-shaped bodyportion, with foot-piecesat its ends lying' in a plane at rig'ht anglesto the plane of the body portion, said foot-pieces being' formed by alJ-shaped bend of wire having' an extending end.

TOO

IIO

6. 1n a construction of the class described,

the combination of supporting'strips, an upholstery-spring having' onecoil thereof engaged by a central supporti lie-strip, two crosswireshaving' their/inner ends connected to said supporting-strip within thecoil of the spring', the ends of said cross-wires being' hooked ontosiui portingstrips at opposite sides of the middle simporting-strip, andupholstery-springs secured upon the side supporting-strips.

In testimony whereof 1 have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing' witnesses.

E. BIGELOW. W itnesses:

PHILIP 1V. Sonrncavrn, JOHN F. CRownLL.

